1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a particular shaped pool chemical tablet. More particularly, the present invention relates to a chemical tablet that is easily identifiable and provides consistent chemical dissolution in a body of water.
2. Brief Description of Art
Sanitization of water is important to everyday life. Drinking water, bathing water and swimming water need to be properly sanitized to prevent unhealthy levels of bacteria, fungi and other contaminants. A typical method for sanitizing bathing and swimming water employs dissolving a tablet, briquette, or solution comprising the desired sanitizing chemicals in the water.
A common problem in treating bodies of water, such as swimming pools, with sanitizing chemicals has been providing a dispensing article that allows uniform distribution of the sanitizing chemicals into the body of water. Attempts in the art have culminated in the use of pressed tablets of varying forms such as briquettes, circular, cylindrical, or elliptical blocks that have means for metering the sanitizing chemical into the surrounding water.
An additional concern in this field includes the safety of humans and animals when they are exposed to high amounts of highly concentrated pool chemicals. Therefore pool chemical tablets are preferably formed so as to allow an even, controlled dispersion of the chemicals in the body of water. Better control of the dispersion of the chemicals is always desired when tablets are created.
There is also a further need in the art for consumers to have the ability to distinguish different pool chemicals from others. It is known that the use of chemicals, even household products containing certain chemicals require some precautions. It would be helpful for a consumer to be able to visually distinguish one type of pool chemical tablet from another to avoid unwanted reactions. Differently shaped pool chemical tablets is one option of visual distinguishment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,003 to Casberg relates to a package for a water sanitizing chemical that permits the chemical to dissolve uniformly and over a substantially long period of time. This patent describes an elongated halogen compound containing tablet with an elongate central section connecting two opposing obliquely and inwardly tapered ends encased by a tablet shell of the same configuration but having openings in the ends. The openings in the shell allow the chemical to dissolve through into the body of water.
Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,813 to Casberg relates to a capsule and a method of making a capsule for use in the dissolution of a chlorine chemical into a body of water. This patent discloses a capsule that generally comprises a tablet section and a shell means. The tablet sections comprises at least one halogen chemical compound tablet. The tablet section has an elongate center section with two opposite end sections. The shell means is securely fitted about the tablet section. The shell means have two end portions adjacent to the tablet end sections. Each of the end portions comprises a tablet wall with an aperture therethrough and an extension having a conduit means or flow passage therethrough. This causes water to pass through the extensions and the apertures to access the tablet section such that the shell means reduces the dissolving rate of the halogen compound. This tablet was designed to last a longer time than other tablets and to dissolve at a relatively even rate
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,731 to Casberg discloses a pool chemical tablet design which has a donut shape with a close-fitting peripheral water impervious barrier. The barrier is a certain size in relation to the tablet size and hole diameter to achieve a very even dissolving rate of a desired magnitude.
U.S. Design Pat. Nos. 283,649 and 625,619 to Casberg demonstrate different shapes of pool chemical tablets used in the art to provide even distribution of pool chemicals into surrounding bodies of water that do not pose a danger to users of the water.
Despite the above-mentioned advancements in the art, what is needed is a pool chemical tablet that is shaped to be visually distinctive from other tablets, and shaped to allow easy handling while providing an even and safe distribution of pool chemicals into the surrounding body of water. Ideally the chemical tablet would not easily clog, trap, or otherwise interfere with any other components of a filtration system or the like.